[John Bennett]

Beyond dressing the elements myself pretty simply Neal.

The Kata E-702 and E-704 attachment for 400MM+
http://www.kata-bags.com/product.asp?p_Id=229&Version=Photo

Handholding all the time, so no pod, but it does allow for one.
Pros: cheap and effective
Cons: Fogs up and in low light makes getting critical focus hard.

Summation: Worth every penny

[John Bennett]

What David said. if grey wet uninteresting tell the story.

You know that pro Bass Tourney I just did?
I didnt think there was much potential in them due to all the corporate branding, despite that I still do them. What little potential I thought existed evaporated the day I started the “Why do we do this” thread.

Cold, miserable, rain, high ISOs, bleak skies, some noise in the images, very limited “artistic” opportunity, yada,yada. If not for the fatc it was an event on “my” scales of measurement most (read 90%) would have met the trash bin.

Within 3 days of shooting and posting the gallery for the particpants to visit, I’ve had an expression of interest from an AD in buying some and more importantly a successful Outdoor Writer with credits in most of the biggest publications in NA emailed me asking if Id work on commission or collaboration for his articles as he doesnt do the photogrpahy himself (he does but he realises its not good enough).
That alone is worth its weight in gold as his articles will get my name in fornt of ADs who right now probably wouldnt give me the time of day.

Thats more than Ive gotten from the hundreds/thousands of technically better, more vivid, more eye catching photos ive got.

As a general rule beyond what DA suggested.

Slow the camera down.
Slow ISOs and low SSs help with colours, saturation etc.

[John Bennett]

They’ll be more chances.
I usually my beter shots come once I’ve done something once. I get home review, find where things might be changed and then approach the situation in a new “light”.

the problem with football games and probably soccer as well is your going to have 2 problems to overcome.

1) lack of light and the desire to freeze action..(some shots are great with a little motion blur)..Basically you want to find what maximum aperture you need to “freeze” action, that way if you to explore some shots with a little motion blur you can stop down a third (or more) from there.

2) Range.
Action can be close or it can be far away. Fast, long lenses are crazy expensive. The 200mm f1.8 L runs I think 9,000, popular with hockey, basketball, gymanstics etc.

If f2.8 turns out to be dicey….thats alot of coin for something that may work sometimes (slower action) but not freeze faster stuff.

I only brought it up as at F4 you can tell in some you needed quite a bit more SS and I just wonder if f2.8 will be the difference for you.

If not you can look for alternatives like an 85 f1.8. It may not have the reach for the far end of the field but is good for most else (range wise)

[John Bennett]

It is bothering me that I can’t find any fly fishing magazines locally. I am now on a mission.

In the last 3 or 4 weeks I’ve spent hours hitting all the newstands, book stores within a 30 min walk of my office. As I work in the heart of a pretty big city thats not a small number.

I found One FFing mag (Canadian Fly Fisher) in 1 book store.
Grays=0
AA=0
Field and Stream=0
Outdoor Canada=1
In fisherman =1

Hunting mags like Gun Dog, Bowhunter, Am Whitetail not a single copy. Despite this being prime hunting seasons.

I think PJ what your finding speaks more to other issues. Where newstands and magazine racks *used* to be chock full of Bullit and Hook media… It’s been supplanted by other stuff,I could easily buy 5 diferent muscle mags at every stand. It almost seems like a closet industry.

On the topic of “photo essay” type pieces I must admit that lately Grays has really piqued my interest. Largely because thats something I can aspire to doing…A writer I’m not
🙂

[John Bennett]

Full frame Kendal.

Thats why getting the entire bird has been near impossible. The only ones I have of an entire rooster other than this are horizontals.

or theres too much obstruction

It will still do nicely as a poster on my wall if nothing ever comes of it
🙂

grr.
Need to remember to load small ones

[John Bennett]

Mike nice job on these.

1st.
The big lens the guy is carrying is the 500 F4 L..My dream lens, retails for 7,000.00 after taxes.

The smaller is very likely a 70-200 f2.8 IS or it may be the 100-400. Hard to tell. If it were a night game it would not the the 100-400L. However its day and plenty of light.

2nd
the question you need to ask yourself is f2.8 going to be fast enough?
These were shot at F4 I’m assuming? This isn’t meant as a “critique” in any way, you did well and should be happy.

Virtually all them display motion blur, from a little to a lot.

I wonder if f2.8 is going to be fast enough.

I can tell you f2.8 is not fast enough for my girls volleyball or gymanstics. The Bass thing I did on the weekend was very low light and while the zoom range of the 70-200 f2.8 would have been ideal.

very little would have been sharp.
ISO 800 f1.8 and under 1/200th all morning.

I got away with that as I didnt need faster than 1/200th to “freeze” action and could pan the boats fairly easily

With sports like, football, volleyball, gymnastics etc you very likely need/want 1/800th.

Do you have a 50mm f1.4 or 100mm f2.8 macro?
If so when you have a chance to get to the field, “meter” the scene with one of those lenses.

[John Bennett]

nice Will, really like the 2nd.

[John Bennett]

Turn the tables a bit.

As a Freelance writer/photographer that has bills to pay.

Do you write/shoot for yourself? Meaning what ever interest you the most and become an expert at that and only that? Maybe the best in the industry? Or do you write/shoot for whats going to get accepted and thus pay your bills?

When I irst started trying to get some images accepted I concentrated mainly on fly fishing related photography.

Not long after that, once I did the math and realised how few mgazines there are. Then count the number of issues..how many articles per issue…how many images per artcle……

So now Im targetting magazines that cater to the Outdoors.
Spin fishing, bait fishing, fly fishing, big game hunting, bow hunting, Upland hunting, canoeing, back packing, camping..you name it due to the variety.

I also find them so much more enjoyable to read simply due to the variety. Im done to 1 FFing mag these days and I havent bought that since May.

With reagrds to articles I prefer reading about people experiences. Its a chance to read about places and do things I’ll likely never get to do personally.

[John Bennett]

If I had the time/opportunity. Its entering winter and most of our waters are closed.

Id try to get someone to drift a stim so its big like a R wulff across and in front of some cows that have to come to drink an some idylic spot and shoot that.

Farm pond with deer hair bass plugs, cows at the edge???

Just tossin ideas for anyone else if they can get to a spot with Cows.

[John Bennett]

Well needless to say I survived, so no camera gear to fight over and my wifes gona have to hold of on that solo trip to Belize 🙂

What was it like?
Miserable.

Temp at 7am was a balmy 6 degrees, pouring rain and if there was a silver lining its that the high h=winds didnt come in until about 2pm. By then I wasoff the water, although I went back out with the live relase boat as the organisers wanted some images of the fish being dumped from under the boat.

Lol, there I was in the swells, described by the Capt. as “Holy Rollers” my lieing in the edge of front deck of the pontoon boat in scary swells, blind shooting under the deck tween the toons catching the fish as they fell out the bottom. Camera got wet but it survived.

Couple images.

To start the day in near freezing rain.

and the prize

[John Bennett]

Back yard shooting can be alot of fun., especially during Spring migrations. If you spend some time you can make a backyard studio.
It can be as simple as strategically placed feeders that will draw the birds for morning or afternoon light. Some strategically placed perches, dead branches with nice moss in front of nice backdrops located a few feet away from the feeders etc. To elaborate set ups with remote flashes, cleverly disguised feeders (One guy I know glues hibicus flowers on to his humming bird feeders) etc, etc.

Some birds like peanuts. You can drill holes in interesting logs, put the penuts in the holes so they arent seen on frame and voila.Nicebird sitting pretty on a log against a backdrop of your choosing and no feed in sight. Seeds sprinkeld on peanutbutter on logs and bracnhes etc. Backyards can be a source of untold pictures.

Ive got 4 feeders in mine with strategically placed branches against nice backdrops,about 3 feet from the feeders. Almost all birds will stop and perch somewhere close to the food, before actually hitting the feeder. That way any shot doesnt show the feeder or a fence or whatever. During the spring I rarely venture into my yard without my camera and do alot of shooting in the evening while Im BBQing.

Also have a Koi pond. Water especially dripping water as from a waterfall will draw birds and all sorts of visitors. Ha my most expensive Koi taken by a Heron this summer:). Its really a good souce for some of my macro shooting June through August.

J

[John Bennett]

lol that would be cool wouldn’t it?

I’m not worried, if the seas are bad to start I just won’t go out on the water. No bodys stupid..

A part of me is actually hoping to catch some great images of rough seas and bass boats spearing them. Some wind wipped 6-8 foot waves, hair blowing images might be powerful. I just hope the Capt of the boat can get us to shore in a hurry something blows in.

Its the forecast SW 30km winds and the ‘strong’ reminder to have a survival suit and how fast Nov Gales can blow in thats unsettling

[John Bennett]

Osprey are cool, nice capture

[John Bennett]

Lens I don’t really have preference between the 24-70 or 400mm. That depends on the range Im going to need.

Focusing speed (initial focus acquisition) is important for those quick shots where you only have a second or less to get the image. Say something (bird/coyote/whatever) jumps out of the brush and dissapears or turns it butt so you end up with an arse shot in a matter of a second or two…..You need fast focus acquisition for that type of shot.

Predictive focus (ai servo/continous focus) is important when your ‘tracking” a subject. Say a surfer riding a wave…you want to track him preferably so your ready to catch the wipeout.

Two different kinds of images dependant largely on
a) subject size..its easier to snap to a human than a small animal
b) the subjects speed… A slow mover like Geese most cameras cantrack…a speeding bullit like a hawk on prey isnt
c) directionality. Things moving laterally are easier to track. Something coming right at you, while it can be tracked breifly the body will lose focus (its predictive) and you might be better off sniping
d) Range to target.

Any camera/lens can stay on a dog running at you, say when its 75feet away. See how it does when the dogs 15feet away and still coming.

All camera bodies and all lenses have their limits. Some focus faster than others and some bodies have better “tracking” abilities than others.

If you stay within your camera/lenses limits and not ask it to do too much you’ll get more keepers. The only real way to find out is to practise……………….alot. Most if not all are capable of sniping

Youve seen me post some images of small fast movers say that Blue Jay diving shot.

[John Bennett]

I’d be carefull.

Depsite their claims, they can’t support the weight of heavier lenses/bodies. I thought to buy one as somethng I could pack while wading streams, bushwacking, on hot days when I didn’t want the extra weight of my tri or mono pod.

Went to the store, mounted my 1D and 180mm and it collapsed under the weight. One of those images above shows a Rebel XT with a 100-400 L or its 70-200 f2.8 IS. Both of which are heavy lenses.

I dont think it can hold the weight of a 100-400.
Can you use it?
Sure, but I wouldnt have my hands more than a few inches away.

J

[John Bennett]

Thanks guys.
Waiting for this day had been killing me. Now that I’ve got one Pheasant hunt under my belt I’m looking forward to the next where I can try to concentrate on getting some specific types of images, vs this day where I just went for broke :). Really hoping something from these sells but if not I’ve got another stunning 19×13 to hang on the wall.

Those shots are really great, particularly like the mid-flight (second last) shot!
How do you do it? (maintain focus on the subject while moving the camera)

It depends on a few variables Dizzy. Without getting into long drawn out explantions of what seems to work best for me, I’ll try a cndensed version.

All bodies and lenses have their limits. Even the best of the best, something like a 1DMKIII paired with a 300 f2.8 and relying on “AI servo” (which is predictive focus) can only focus on and track a target thats moving up 60mph (or there abouts). Generally those specs are based on larger subjects like cars etc.

So tracking+burst vs “sniping” ( focus+fire, release shutter, re-acquire focus+fire) is largely dependant on a few things.

1) Size of target
2) Its speed
3) Directionality.

Take something the size of duck at full speed. Some camera bodies can track them and record a high success rate of sharp images quite well when the subject is moving laterally.

Take the same Duck at the same speed but its flying at you. Thats quite another matter and is a serious test of any bodies capabilties.

So theres no set answer.
A Hawk (medium size bird) thats cruising at moderate speed from my left to right I’ll likely track and record a series of images.

A smaller or faster moving subject (say a Swallow) I’ll snipe and by that mean acquire focus and the moment I do record 1 to 3 frames. Then I “pump” the shutter release to “reacquire’ focus again and snap fire another 1 to 3 frames,  as something like that is beyond my bodies/lenses limits to “track”.

Knowing when to do either/or is mostly a matter of learning your bodies/lenses limitations. Practise, practise, practise.

And then practise some more
Putting a long lens on target with center point focus only (speeds up focus acquisition) and keeping it there requires alot of practise. Its like snap shooting a long gun with a powerfull scope, your angle of view is pretty narrow.

[John Bennett]

So sad 🙁

I’m glad to say I’ve never handled a dead animal for just this reason.
Unless you know why its dead and its probably not dead of old age, its not worth the risk.

[John Bennett]

I’ll be out all winter Ben, just won’t be fishing. Right now I’m concentrating on Fall Hunting related activities. Mostly trying to get various species, but also hope to start getting out with hunters who won’t mind a photographer tagging along. That and trying to find ways to expand stock photography of the same.

Our seasons here on really hard on Trout nuts. With the exception of a few Lakes and Great Lakes Tribs which remain open about 1/4 mile from their mouths for migratories Trout fishing is closed from the Last of Sept until the last Sat in April, so its really 7 months worth of shack nasties.

:'(

[John Bennett]

I’ll have to check tonight when I get home but Im pretty sure there an option for them. Failing that you might need to use DPP or Canons “photo easy print” but……….

anyone I asked about why my colours were still off after calibrating the monitor all said the same thing. Make sure the colour space is Adobe RGB and print from within PS, checking to make sure the option re “colour managemet” is set to PS and *not* your printer.

Is there an option in DPP that does the same, that specifies if its the printer handling colour management or your software?

[John Bennett]

I’ve had/have a similiar problem. My monitor is calibrated (spyder 3 pro) and my Printer (Canon 9900 pro) isn’t. Not sure this is the answer for you but it certainly helped mine after the first prints.

Use Photoshop for everything.
Don’t use some other programs printing utility including Canons. Print directly from within PS. Have the profile set Adobe RGB and somewhere in there you’ll find an option that speaks to “colour management”.

Choose “let photoshop” handle it.
If its your printer or printing software like Canons easyprint chances are colours will be off.

[Author]

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